The invention relates to side view mirror assemblies and more particularly to mirror assemblies of this character in which upper and lower mirrors are mounted for simultaneous rotation and for relative rotation so as to vary the reflective angles thereof.
Mirror assemblies in which a pair of mirrors are mounted in superposed relation for simultaneous rotation on a mounting bracket and in which one of the mirrors can be rotated independently of the other to thereby vary the angle between the mirrors have been known heretofore. U.S. Pat No. 3,826,563 issued July 30, 1974 to Bernard E. Davis discloses one such mirror assembly construction.
Mirror assemblies of the character to which the present invention and the construction of Bernard E. Davis are directed are intended to effectively cope with the vulnerability of a motorist to the risk of colliding with another vehicle overtaking him on his adjacent lane during a turn owing to a blind spot in the reflective field of the conventional side view and/or rear view mirrors. It was previously considered necessary for the motorist to turn his head in order to reduce the blind area. However, by taking his eyes off the road before him other and additional hazards are created. Therefore, the provision of a mirror assembly which affords an extended and undistorted reflective field, eliminating the aforesaid blind spot has tended to reduce the described risks and hazards. However, mirror assemblies available heretofore have been relatively complex structurally and frequently the attention required to manipulate one mirror relative to the other in order to provide the desired reflective field has itself been a distraction for the motorist which on occasion has resulted in an accident. Further, the mirror assembly constructions available heretofore did not afford ease of assembly and/or disassembly in the event one or both of the mirrors required replacement. It will be appreciated that mirror attachments constitute a form of attractive nuisance in that young children frequently break the reflecting glass or damage the pivotal connection thereby necessitating replacement of one or both of the mirrors. The prior mirror constructions, as the one disclosed in the aforesaid Davis patent, employed a single frame or casing within which both mirrors were mounted and it was either impossible or extremely difficult to replace only one of the mirrors.